Anthony #2
Of course Billy knew everything and I was glad I’d called her. “Damn, I know somebody is getting a bunch of money doing this.”
“Yep. Just like everything else in this world, they’re preying on the people that they know don’t have the financial means to wait it out.”
I chuckled at her words because I understood why I’d been targeted. “Somebody like me.”
She sucked her teeth over the line and I only smiled bigger because I knew she was going to fuss at me. “They thought somebody like you. But they were wrong.”
“I mean I ain’t swimming in money.” I wasn’t but I was doing infinitely better than I had been in recent years.
“I’m not even going to argue with you about your bank account since that figure is going to rise exponentially this year. How much did they offer you in the letter?”
I opened the letter back up real quick and glanced back down at the number. “Seventy-three thousand dollars.”
“Oh, damn they’re really trying to get yours.” She sounded shocked at the number and now I was more curious than I had been before.
I was surprised that she wasn’t trying to talk me into taking it. “What you mean?”
“The highest I’d seen before this was in the high forties. They must know that you aren’t going to be moved by something below fifty thousand.”
“‘Twan’s ass protecting me again.” I grinned at the thought of my brother truly being my keeper even when he wasn’t trying to be. I felt a mild twinge of guilt but Billy talking brought me out of my sadness.
“No, your talent protecting you. They know that this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.”
“What you mean?” I felt like a broken record asking her this shit every time she spoke but I couldn’t help it.
“You needed last season to get a few plays under your belt and to work with the NFL program on the practice squad. And now you’re going to be golden. Watch what happens during camp. Hell, probably before that. You’ve been invited back for training, right?”
“Well, yeah. But I can’t imagine much will change and I’m good with that. I make more money than most people do and Rye’s ass ain’t playing about me investing and saving. But yeah, they asked me to come back and train. I thought it was something they did for every practice squad member.”
Billy’s talking was doing the thing I didn’t need. It gave me hope. The possibility that my dreams were still there in a larger capacity than I’d already achieved them. Of course, that had been the goal all along, but its potentially being a reality lit something inside of me.
“Yeah, when it gets closer to the season. But your being asked right after the season ends means something. And with Rye, she’s like that with everybody.
She doesn’t play that shit with her athletes being broke five years post-retirement.
That wouldn’t do anything but make her and her business look bad.
You’re also her brother so she was going to make sure you were good no matter what happened.
As far as this letter is concerned, you need to understand if someone will give you that much, you’re probably worth about four or five times that. ”
“Damn, you serious?”
“Yep. At a minimum, you could be looking at somewhere close to half a million dollars.”
“Excuse me?” I knew she had to be exaggerating that figure now.
“Yeah, I think you forget how much money this really is. And also how popular you were. Your stats weren’t anything to sneeze at and you made major plays that had you on every sports network.
Stew will tell you that you were high on draft boards and think of how often you were used for community outreach and the face of the team.
All that is worth something. Now of course they’d probably try to convince you to take an annuity and that’s something you’d need to discuss with Rye.
There are a lot of pros and cons with each but the biggest thing you need to remember is to wait it out.
That windfall will be good, but I think you’re getting a salary increase this year. ”
“Spoken like a true agent.”
“Speaking of which, I need you to come into my office next week.”
I sat up straight because her tone had gotten serious. “I do something wrong?”
“Only if you say no.”
I laughed again and nodded my head even though she couldn’t see me.
This was the Billy that she always was; I was just more receptive to it now.
My eyes went to the pool in the backyard and I wanted to walk over and stick my feet in despite it being January.
It was mild as hell in Texas this time of year but I was sure the water was freezing since the heaters hadn’t been cut on.
“It sounds like you know something I don’t.”
She laughed but I knew she wasn’t giving up any additional information. “Potentially. Just do like I’ve asked please and thank you.”
“As if I had a choice or would want to disobey.”
Her laugh was louder and I completely relaxed since she didn’t sound like she was going to kill my ass.
“See, now if only all the other guys could be so easy to get on with. I’ve got one guy who called me up about a fifteen thousand dollar settlement.
He said, if he thought he’d get more I should front him the money and then I can take the settlement when it happens. ”
“Not him trying to make a deal with you.”
“Right? Like I don’t do this for a living! Could you imagine the way they’d have my ass for taking advantage of somebody like that? But anyway, you’ll be good, ignore everything they send to the house. I’m pissed they could find your information but it is what it is.”
“I appreciate you handling this for me, Billy. Especially since I was an asshole the first time we met.” I had no problem apologizing for my behavior because at the end of the day, I was wrong.
“Water under the bridge, Ant. I’ve dealt with far more terrible athletes, your attitude wasn’t even the worst. Besides, I see the man you’re turning into and I’m proud of him. So you always get a second chance with me. Like I said, you’re family.”
My chest got tight the same way it did when Antwan said shit like this. For so long I felt like I didn’t deserve the goodness that people gave me so it was hard to accept it. I was working on it, but that didn’t mean it came easily.
“I appreciate it.”
“No problem, now let me go, my mama has dinner on the table and you're not about to have that lady mad at me.”
“My fault. Appreciate it again.”
“Have a good night, Ant. Don’t forget to come by and see me when you get the chance.”
I hung out at the pool trying to understand what I’d just heard.
The news that Billy dropped on me made a lot of what had been going on lately make a lot of sense.
For the first time in a minute, my mother had reached out.
And that was an understatement. The number of times she’d called instantly had me worried about her.
A sign that I wasn’t strong enough to deal with her right now.
Putting up mental blocks in my head and emotional ones in my heart to deal with the woman that gave birth to me was a pain few knew.
That lady only saw us as extensions of herself so everything we had she wanted.
The craziest part was that she was offended whenever she didn’t get it so she schemed and lashed out.
The number of times she’d called me without reaching out to Antwan meant she’d learned something about this and was trying to get her hands on this money.
Same old Jillana.
My brother and sister-in-law had completely cut ties with her after their wedding.
Sarayah had a shitty family life besides her Grams and one thing she refused to do was have toxic people around Annia, my niece.
My brother and his wife were wild cards but they didn’t play about their daughter.
My niece was honestly one of the most miraculous people on earth and she wasn’t even two years old yet.
She could bring even more joy into our family and her presence was like a sign that our generation was gonna be good enough not to fuck up the next one.
“Everything okay?”
I looked up and saw Grams walk out of the French doors on the back of the house and I nodded.
“Everything is wonderful. Billy told me this is just some vultures trying to get their hands on some money they think I’m coming into.”
Grams walked toward me, and for a lady in her sixties she was still fly as hell. She’d pop on a wig and shake her ass to some trap music in a heartbeat. Since she’d had Rye’s mama so young she was always going to have fun. Especially since she’d taken care of Rye for most of her childhood.
“Well, they can kiss our asses. Whatever money you've got coming is for your future. I know you’ll do the right thing with it. You won’t even need that money after you get a roster spot this year.”
I couldn’t help but smile because Grams was one of the first women that had ever spoken positively to me besides well, Billy.
My mama would praise me but it was disingenuous.
Even when Billy was putting me in my place when we met, she did it lovingly.
She knew more than just my stats, although she could quote them accurately.
Billy told me where I needed to improve in a way that didn’t make me feel like she was comparing me to Antwan.
Not in the way other people did. Mainly Jillana.
She’d stopped acting like a mother years ago and demanded I stop calling her that when I got to college.
Why she wanted to impress people she didn’t know was beyond me, but again, typical Jillana.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence Grams. I’m gonna do my best.” She sat down next to me at the table and squeezed my shoulder.
“Boy, it’s already written. I’ve seen how you’ve come over to study film and to work with your brother. Your dedication to the sport is there and your talent is probably greater than his.”